Long Beach community youth garden threatened by growing homeless encampment

LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) — Tucked away along the Los Angeles River is a hidden gem for Long Beach residents.

Sheila Grantham, better known as Ms. Sheila, founded Adventures to Dreams Enrichment, a nonprofit organization that runs the community youth garden.

“I know I’m doing something great in this community,” Ms. Sheila said.

It caters to kids with the goal of getting them outdoors. They also get to learn about nutrition and how food is grown.

“They come two Saturdays a month and they enjoy the space. We also provide art and STEM activity for them as well,” said Ms. Sheila, who’s proud the garden is thriving with a wide variety fresh fruits and vegetables.

“First of all, it’s beautiful and the kids enjoy it, and I enjoy the kids coming,” she said.

However, outside of the garden’s fence line is a growing eyesore she fears is becoming more unsafe.

“It’ll be heart wrenching to let it go because of this,” she said.

A homeless encampment made up of tents and tarps line the street next to the garden. Ms. Sheila said her calls for something to be done have gone unanswered.

“I lost 10 parents this summer who had enrolled their kids but they drove by first, and when they saw that, they withdrew their kids from the program,” she recalled.

She said feeding families in need and keeping those who tend to the garden safe are her top priorities.

“This is what we do here, and this is what I want to continue, but the more that increases, the less chance that I’ll be able to continue to do that,” Ms. Sheila said. “That will be very heartbreaking.”

Even though the situation is frustrating, she’s optimistic that something will be done to address the issue and that she’ll continue her mission of helping others.